Tapped in 2017 Post when your tapped in

[D and D Sugar Camp]

Tapped in on Sunday, sap started running that afternoon, yesterday it ran some and when I got home tonight from work I had to add anot her barrel at my collection point, 50 gallons of water since Sunday afternoon.

[sbedilion]

I thought yesterday things would run some but got zero. Today....Collected 25 gallons on 15 taps.

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[D and D Sugar Camp]

Added another barrel tonight, sap running over when I got home from work. 125 gallons of sap collected since Sunday afternoon, still running good. Going to be a busy weekend boiling, off to a great start!

[sbedilion]

Soooo.....its 33 degrees right now. Its not suppose to get colder. Tomorrow is suppose to be rainy until noon with a high of 57. Do you think sap will run? I'm off tomorrow and was planning on boiling the 50 gallons I have saved up tomorrow afternoon after it quits rainy. It's going to be too warm until late next week so I wanted to boil everything I have, but if there is a chance of getting more, I will hold off until Saturday to boil. This is only my 2nd year, so I'm kinda curious on if it has to get below 32 or close to it to reset.

[asknupp]

What are you boiling on.

[sbedilion]

Block arch with two 2x3 flat pans. I'm only at 17 taps right now for the early stuff to play around and fine tune my make shift setup. I just trying to time my boil to catch most of the sap....its warming for a week. I'll be at 50-60 taps after this weekend.

Just a heads up...I work at a metal fab shop with lasers, press brakes, welders, and all the cool stuff. If any of you local guys need anything, I can usually push things through our shop at cost. My laser guy also is getting into hobby maple...so we made pans up together and he will help out.

[adk1]

The sap will stay long enough? What are you doing to keep it as cold as possible

[sbedilion]

55 gallon food grade barrel....with a big ice chunk floating around in it. its been warm for a couple days after a nice run. Just curious if I should wake up and start boiling or wait to see if tmw will get more since I won't boil for a full week (due to warm temps). I have a deep freezer...so I guess if things do run, I can freeze it.

[adk1]

Always best to boil as fast soon as possible no matter what the weather

[sbedilion]

thanks. i will fire up tmw and if i collect any sap...i will just freeze it or figure it out.

[asknupp]

I agree with adk. Boil every opportunity you can given you've got the sap to make it worth while. I started out with block arch as well.i had a makeshift door on the front and dug a small hole under it and with a leaf blower at idle was able to make my pan rip. Amy addition of forced air helps.

[sbedilion]

Fine! Im boiling. ha. Im definetly fab'ing up an evaporator for next year. Im tired of leveling issues. The block moves too much. I need to snag a thicker piece of metal to build the block arch on. My driveway slopes. My metal base expands once it gets hot which causes my block to shift. Im getting it done today though! :)

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[D and D Sugar Camp]

Just started boiling off 180+|- gals. Pretty good week early, sap slowed down some the past 2 days. Need a couple cold nights. We are 11 days ahead of last years start.

[helptheold]

Hello! This is only my second year but I hope to put in some taps tomorrow. Not planning on tapping too many trees but it'll be way more than last year when I only tried 4.

[D and D Sugar Camp]

Sbedilion,

How did your boil go today. Let us know how much syrup you ended up with.

[sbedilion]

Things went good. Finished up w almost a gallon. I bought a hydrometer and filter w prefilters this year. Wow does that make things easier. Last yr I struggled w the finishing trying to tell if its done or not.

Forecast looks like we might get a few days off so I will be able to fix the block arch to keep it from shifting.

I think I will tap most of my trees next weekend. Hoping to get 50+ taps up this yr. With 2 young kids in sports plus my other hobbies...this might be my limit for a couple years. Im heading out to go mountain biking now ;)

[sbedilion]

Hello! This is only my second year but I hope to put in some taps tomorrow. Not planning on tapping too many trees but it'll be way more than last year when I only tried 4.

What part of Pittsburgh are you from? Im south down in Peters Township.

[helptheold]

What part of Pittsburgh are you from? Im south down in Peters Township.

Really? That's where I am! I live right next to Bower Hill Elementary

[D and D Sugar Camp]

H50 + taps will keep you busy with a block arch that's for sure. I boiled til 2 am, wife took over at 5am,definitely going to take us all day to get done. Sap has slowed way down with warm nights. The nights look warm for next week, sugar makers are probably the only people who complain about warm nights in mid January. Lol.

[Sugarmaker]

Looking almost too warm in Northwest PA for the next few days. Lines are strung but holding off on tapping for a few days. Keep checking forecast. now looking for next freeze at night. Looks like after this coming Thursday it may be cold again. I think I will wait. Only time will tell if that's the right move! Hope you guys are having fun!
Regards,
Chris

[sbedilion]

Really? That's where I am! I live right next to Bower Hill Elementary

thats crazy. im next to rolling hills golf course.

[helptheold]

thats crazy. im next to rolling hills golf course.

Neat! I heard the township & school district got their hands on that property, are you tapping any trees on it?

[helptheold]

Looking almost too warm in Northwest PA for the next few days. Lines are strung but holding off on tapping for a few days. Keep checking forecast. now looking for next freeze at night. Looks like after this coming Thursday it may be cold again. I think I will wait. Only time will tell if that's the right move! Hope you guys are having fun!
Regards,
Chris

Looks like the weather you're getting is similar to ours down here in Pittsburgh. I put out one last Saturday to see what other stuff I needed & was thinking of putting out 10 taps tomorrow when it's slightly nicer.

[sbedilion]

Neat! I heard the township & school district got their hands on that property, are you tapping any trees on it?

Tapping trees on a golf course....never....ok I did. haha. They are my early test trees. Put 10 taps out up there. My main trees are around my house. Im putting 30 more taps out around my house this weekend.

[helptheold]

Tapping trees on a golf course....never....ok I did. haha. They are my early test trees. Put 10 taps out up there. My main trees are around my house. Im putting 30 more taps out around my house this weekend.

Why not? At least someone is using it then, makes my husband sad to see it not being used (he loves golf) I think I'm going to put out taps behind my house tomorrow and then wait a week or two to tap the rest that I've marked in our common areas. Need to say hi first to the people who live in the houses I'm going to tromping around behind first :) Don't need the cops called on me!

[Sugarmaker]

Looks like we have some cold weather coming in the next few days and may last for a week or more. That should put us into early February. So the next warming spell after that cold snap should be when we tap in NWPA. I have gone to 5 sugarhouses in the area. Three were making syrup and the other two are just getting set up for the first time this season. Nice to have some additional sugarhouses coming on board in the area.
We have a annual maple meeting this Saturday in Sagerstown.
Regards,
Chris

[sbedilion]

Why not? At least someone is using it then, makes my husband sad to see it not being used (he loves golf) I think I'm going to put out taps behind my house tomorrow and then wait a week or two to tap the rest that I've marked in our common areas. Need to say hi first to the people who live in the houses I'm going to tromping around behind first :) Don't need the cops called on me!

#helptheold Are you ready for this week? Temps look good for some sap. I got 70 gallons this week that I am boiling up on Sunday. Sunday looks good so Im planing on starting my boil mid day then collect the days sap. Hoping to get 2 gallons of syrup w Sundays run added. This will be my biggest boil so far....and should be even bigger next week.

Just an heads up...That Cookie factory on Mayview Road (near the old mental hospital) has 55 gallon food grade drums for sale. $20. Some smell of olives...some arent bad. I got one...need to get another.

Still cant believe you live a couple miles away! Peters Township!!!!!

[Polish Wizard]

I too am from the Pittsburgh South Hills area but I travel 100 miles north to our other property in Greenville to do my maple stuff.
I gave a small jar of syrup to my Pittsburgh neighbor and now he has the bug to at least collect sap from large trees in his grandmother's property in Bethel Park.
So I gave his some tapping supplies.
Only problem --- he expects me to cook it for him instead of his enjoying the entire maple process. (I'll assume he knows what a Maple tree looks like)

I looked at Weather Underground on-line and their graph of forecasted weather looks like a nice roller coaster of temperatures for the next week, so Sunday should be my day to hit the trees.
Since my tap openings should remain active for 4-6 weeks, I hope I'll be right in the band of good maple sap production before that window of tap viability closes and/or the buds sprout.

Last year was my first attempt at sugaring and I tapped around February 20ish. I was introduced to a neighbor up north who has been tapping "commercially" for a few years, and he was surprised I waited that long last year.
It gets a bit challenging traveling back and forth between two locations and not miss or harm the sap collection (temperatures for storage), not to mention many hours devoted to cooking on my version of an arch and evaporator.

This is my second year using a heavily modified file cabinet that has been lined with fire brick and wool blanket; and three full size buffet pans placed in a heavy 6" C-channel frame on top of the arch.
I swap sap between the three pans until I start to run out and minimize into one pan, stopping just before I hit 66 Brix. I then save the Nearup in my fridge and finish a bigger combined batch in a turkey fryer, with a coffee urn to aid in keeping the syrup hot as I use the urn's spout to do my bottling. The arch includes a small fan that provides air-under-fire, and I can't believe the minimal amount of ash I have left after a long day of cooking.

Last year I stole ideas from another poster and built a temporary shack using Amish roughcut 2x4's and blue tarps. This year I built a 10x10 shack addition on back of a small barn that has served as my base of operations -- i.e. sap storage, wood storage for immediate use, source of electric power, yard hydrant outside, etc. Among all the other construction materials involved, this year's shack includes a Class A flue that easily wipes out any thoughts of making my own syrup being a cost-saving move.
My collection system consists of (40) 2" PVC pipe segments and blue bags hanging on 5/16" Tree Saver spiles.

I tried to post a few photos last year but I'm not computer literate enough to make it work. Maybe wifey will have better luck if I beg for her help this year.
As I said, last year was my first attempt at this hobby, so everything I mentioned seems to work well for a novice.

This site was a big help in providing info to read, photos to devour, and lots of kind-hearted folks who provided answers to my numerous and sometimes seemingly ridiculous questions.

[D and D Sugar Camp]

We collected and boiled 54 gallons last weekend,which made 1.25 gallons of syurp. Collected around 150 gallons of sap this week, started boiling at 6:00. Sugar content was pretty good last week, hoping for more of the same this weekend.

[helptheold]

#helptheold Are you ready for this week? Temps look good for some sap. I got 70 gallons this week that I am boiling up on Sunday. Sunday looks good so Im planing on starting my boil mid day then collect the days sap. Hoping to get 2 gallons of syrup w Sundays run added. This will be my biggest boil so far....and should be even bigger next week.

Just an heads up...That Cookie factory on Mayview Road (near the old mental hospital) has 55 gallon food grade drums for sale. $20. Some smell of olives...some arent bad. I got one...need to get another.

Still cant believe you live a couple miles away! Peters Township!!!!!

Almost done, going to head out tomorrow morning to finish putting in taps. I managed to trip & fall the other day so I've been moving slow, the ibuprofen is finally kicking in. I will check out that place tomorrow, gotta feeling that I'm going to need it. Told my husband he can start looking into making a fire pit for the summer but it'll have to double as place I boil sap in the future!

[Polish Wizard]

Last year I looked at a publication called Area Shopper and found a gentleman selling 55-gallon metal barrels that formerly held apple juice. They have full width tops, and split rings to hold them on if you need it.
Can't remember the cost, but I believe it was $15. He is located in Sandy Lake, which involves a right turn at exit 130 from I-79 North.

I looked at the latest version on-line but didn't find his ad. Maybe he's out of barrels, I don't know. If I get a chance and actually remember, I'll see if I can find a hardcopy of his old ad when I head north on Sunday.
Bad part- I don't have access to a computer while I'm away from Pittsburgh, so it may be a while before I can post any details.

Here's the link to Area Shopper. http://www.theareashopper.com/readonline.php

I did find a man with two postings and the same phone number.
One covers 300-gallon tanks he says are clean enough for water or maple sap, large lid on top and valve on bottom. Pick up in Meadville/Mercer, or delivery possible.
No price was posted.

The second ad shows rain barrels, 55-gallon plastic, and also 30 and 15 gallons available.
Again no cost posted, and no confirmation of how clean for our use.

724-376-3448

[Sugarmaker]

Folks,
Well the forecast in NW PA is starting to look much better for syrup making. Other local sugarmakers here are setting tanks, making up short run tubing lines, setting head tanks and gathering plumbing fittings, and preparing to tap.
Temps may get into the 50's on Tuesday and that will prompt a lot of folks to begin tapping the sugarbush.
We may start to tap in the next few days. With only 600 ish roadside taps it doesn't take to long.
All other systems are go. Got the auto draw off working, just needed tapped and wiggled a little. Stack lid is now opening as it should. Welded a crack in the arch door handle. All tanks and the evaporator are cleaned. Wood is setting in front of the arch.
Bring it on! Looking forward to a good maple season!
Regards,
Chris

[Polish Wizard]

Hey Sugarmaker,

I looked at your .com site and looks like you have a major operation going on; not to mention a lot of history with sugarin'.

I know Greenville had a bit more snow than 100 miles south in Pittsburgh, but your place is above me, and right in the middle of all the "lake effect" weather reports I hear.
You mention roadside taps. I assume that means stopping at each tree to gather sap. Do you have anything on tubing - gravity or vacuum?

Thanks to my neighbor up north I now know a little about the tubing process, but only enough to get a conversation started.
I'm too small, so strictly a bag man.

Last year I had little problems trekking through snow for my collection, and it looks like this year will be as easy.
Hopefully you aren't up to your belt buckle in snow (or mud).

[Sugarmaker]

Hey Sugarmaker,

I looked at your .com site and looks like you have a major operation going on; not to mention a lot of history with sugarin'.

I know Greenville had a bit more snow than 100 miles south in Pittsburgh, but your place is above me, and right in the middle of all the "lake effect" weather reports I hear.
You mention roadside taps. I assume that means stopping at each tree to gather sap. Do you have anything on tubing - gravity or vacuum?

Thanks to my neighbor up north I now know a little about the tubing process, but only enough to get a conversation started.
I'm too small, so strictly a bag man.

Last year I had little problems trekking through snow for my collection, and it looks like this year will be as easy.
Hopefully you aren't up to your belt buckle in snow (or mud).

PW,
We are about 15 miles from Lake Erie. Maybe 40 miles north of Greenville.
Our hobby business supplies quality maple syrup, honey and value added products all year to our customers.
We used to stop at each tree when we had 400 Wheeling buckets. Now we run 20 or so taps on short run 5/16 tubing systems into a storage container and stop at 30 places along a 30 mile gathering route.
I got antsy and set 220 taps this afternoon. We have about 6 inches of snow on the ground. So it has begun!
Regards,
Chris

[sbedilion]

Just finished for the night. 60 gallons down to just over a gallon. Disappointed in the final amount but it taste good so ill be happy w it. Trees were running today but not as good as I thought they would. Hopefully I will wake up to full bags. Maybe I dont wish that...im tired. haha. I was avg'ing about 15gal an hr then near the end I rushed it and killed my boil and my fire started to die down....from there it took forever to finish.

this weeks looks good so ill get another shot at it next wkend.

[Sugarmaker]

Folks,
Should be done taping today. Did another 220 yesterday afternoon. Weather is supposed to warm with some rain, that should get the sap run started. Then cold again and warm over the weekend.
Regards,
Chris

[helptheold]

I just pulled out at least 15 gallons (19 taps) and the trees were still dripping. I'm so happy but now I really need to get a bigger barrel! Will check that cookie place out tomorrow, Meadville is too far for me with the kids in school.

[sbedilion]

I think I need more storage. Collected 40 gallons today! Im tired. haha. Made a gallon of swweeet syrup yesterday. Sooo good. Sugar content was low i the sap...took 70 gallons to make 1 gallon.

[deacm]

Looks like we have some cold weather coming in the next few days and may last for a week or more. That should put us into early February. So the next warming spell after that cold snap should be when we tap in NWPA. I have gone to 5 sugarhouses in the area. Three were making syrup and the other two are just getting set up for the first time this season. Nice to have some additional sugarhouses coming on board in the area.
We have a annual maple meeting this Saturday in Sagerstown.
Regards,
Chris

Thanks for keeping us posted, Chris. I monitor this website pretty close to determine when to put my 70 buckets up and hearing from NW PA helps a lot.

[HowardR]

I put in my approximately 400 taps Sunday (60%), Monday (35%) and today (5%) and the sap has been pouring in, about 280 gallons so far and still running. I'm glad I didn't miss the first run this year, like I did last year.

Only problem was that it got so warm today (about 57 degrees) that I've been freezing sap in quart containers and adding the sap cubes to my collection barrels. Tomorrow's high is 45 degrees (it will be cooling all day) so the heat will no longer be a problem.

[Polish Wizard]

I went north on Sunday and tapped 50 trees, which will be my limit -- at least for this year. I gathered so much sap I grew concerned I'd run out of available storage. A quick look at my notes confirmed the phone number I posted from The Area Shopper was indeed where I've purchased barrels for myself and neighbors. I purchased two more just to have them available, or maybe use one as a burn barrel.

Price is $15 for an open-top steel barrel (with a lid and ring available/included) that is described as formerly holding apple juice.
Their supply is certainly smaller than I found last year, and I believe the wife said they should be getting more.
I asked if she minded me posting the same info on this site as they post in the ad, and she was agreeable.
You'll definitely need a GPS to find them on Crouser-School Road, although I managed with maps I printed from my computer search.

Over the week I gathered about 90 gallons, and cooked it down to almost 2 gallons of Nearup. I'll finish it on my turkey fryer so I don't reenact a total loss last year of about 40 gallons of sap at the last moments.
Temperatures in the teens halted the sap donations, but the weekend looks to be getting much warmer.
With this first syrup cook I've already reached the amount I made last year --- so this can only get better for me.

Other folks in this discussion group offered links to this man's 13-minute poem about making maple syrup.
I think everyone on here can relate to virtually ever part of this poem.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqreE_O6mBU&feature=youtu.be

[3GoatHill]

47 taps in the Lehigh Valley.

[Conococheague]

Installed 18 taps in Perry County today. 3 trees tomorrow. All taps dripping vigorously right away. Just a hobbyist on my second season. Got 120 gallons of sap for 3 gallons of syrup from 5 trees last year so anticipating much more this year.

[beetapper]

Dad and I tapped last weekend here in Lancaster, 80 buckets I think. Dropping pretty slowly so far compared to last year, hoping things get rolling soon!

[Evets]

Welcome, beetapper. I'm in the Denver/Reamstown neighborhood. I only tap a handful of trees in and around my back yard. Not even tapping this year. I still have plenty of syrup til next year. Have a good season!

[Sugarmaker]

Gathered 550 gallons of 2.5% sap ( had some ice chunks). Helped the neighbor tap for a couple hours. Made 15 gallons of amber this evening. At 35 gal so far.
Regards,
Chris

[Hoppy]

My first time trying to make syrup. I tapped a big maple in our backyard. Has 4 trunks. I have 5 taps. First 3 in last Sunday. Last 2 in Friday.

I've collected 8 1/2 gallons so far. I've boiled 7 gallons of it down to about 3/4 gallon. I added some fresh sap to it and put back in the fridge until I collect more.

[sbedilion]

Hey Hoppy, I just replied to your last post.

Things are going good here. 4 gallons done. 2.5 gallons in the pantry. Also helping a friend get started in Aliquippa. It's crazy how many friends are asking for a jar. After giving away jars to friends and family....I'm turning down people everything day. People don't realize how much work goes into making syrup when you have a backyard setup. "Can I have a jar? I'll buy" me..."Um..no" If I was producing 20-30 gallons of syrup then yea. Last year I made roughly 3 gallons and after giving some away, we were out of syrup by summer.

Anyways...75 gallons of sap collected over the weekend. My storage limit is about 100gallons...so I'll have to take a day off work maybe Wednesday to boil. I'm heading up to our camp in Tionesta this weekend....not sure what to do with my bags. Weekend looks great for sap. Maybe I'll empty them Friday afternoon and just let them overflow until Monday.

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[helptheold]

Doing pretty good. Boiled down about 50 gal over the weekend but then I collected 40 more. Hopefully I'll be able to do a lot of boiling this weekend as we've got nothing on the schedule. Was thinking about sticking a few buckets in the freezer to get the amount I need to boil down.

[helptheold]

Hey Hoppy, I just replied to your last post.

Things are going good here. 4 gallons done. 2.5 gallons in the pantry. Also helping a friend get started in Aliquippa. It's crazy how many friends are asking for a jar. After giving away jars to friends and family....I'm turning down people everything day. People don't realize how much work goes into making syrup when you have a backyard setup. "Can I have a jar? I'll buy" me..."Um..no" If I was producing 20-30 gallons of syrup then yea. Last year I made roughly 3 gallons and after giving some away, we were out of syrup by summer.
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OMG I've posted a few pictures on Facebook and each time I get requests. My answer is always to explain the work that goes into it, usually they back off :)

[umpwood1]

Tapped in, Centre County, PA

[molineutu]

I plan on tapping this weekend.

[deacm]

Tapped 14 trees (51 buckets) in Edinboro, PA on Tuesday. It ran like CRAZY all that afternoon and night before the big freeze on Wed/Thurs. Friday hardly ran at all even though the weather was similar to Tuesday. Must be the effect of the 5-6 inches of snow we got this week and the 16º those two days. Will likely boil Saturday in my almost 50 year old Leader 2 X 4 evaporator.

[D and D Sugar Camp]

Boiled 109 gallons last weekend which made 2.25 gallons of beautiful medium amber syurp. Just started on this weekend's boil . Collected nearly 100 gallons this past week, kinda slow. I've been tapped in for 5 weeks. The early start may be slowing my sap yields . This will be our 5th weekend boil. I'm loving it . Boil on!!!